WALLBOX SIMPLIES ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING AT HOME

Wallbox, the electric vehicle charging equipment manufacturer which began operations in the UK this summer, is to introduce what it claims is the first ever DC electric vehicle charger for the home. The company is also unveiling speech recognition and artificial intelligence software, which simplifies the management of electric vehicle charging, and adding upgrades across its range of domestic and public space charging systems, including online payment.

The new DC charger puts energy created and stored in the home, straight into the electric vehicle through a CCS or ChaDeMo connector. Home generation and storage are now becoming much more cost effective considerations as electric vehicle range and battery size increase and reduce ROI timescales.

The charger’s bi-directional power electronics reconcile the alternating (AC) and direct (DC) energy that flows between vehicle charging, rooftop PV generation or garden wind turbines, and home battery storage. The new Wallbox charger is light-weight and compact enough to fit within a domestic setting. First sales are planned for mid 2019.

Wallbox suggestst that it is also making it easier to manage electric vehicle charging at home. The company is introducing software that allows spoken commands, and cognitive intelligence that learns about an owner’s charging behaviour and preferences, in order to predict optimum energy balance with home and grid.

All Wallbox chargers are rated up to 22 kW, suitable for domestic and commercial installation and connect to the myWallbox energy management platform. This enables scheduling to take advantage of time and use tariffs, energy balancing between vehicle and the home, and a host of other features. Wallbox chargers have connectivity through WiFi, Ethernet or Bluetooth.